Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin are responsible for escalating the war, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in response to a question on restrictions on Ukraine's ability to carry out long-range strikes inside Russia.
Kyiv has long argued that restrictions on the use of long-range weapons are stifling its war effort, while Washington has claimed that allowing Ukraine to hit deep into Russian territory with its weapons could escalate the situation.
Blinken and Lammy arrived in Ukraine on Sept. 11 to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sept. 13.
The visit to Kyiv came a day after Washington confirmed that Iran had delivered ballistic missiles to Russia, giving Moscow what Blinken described as "an additional capability and additional flexibility" in the war.
During a press conference in Kyiv, Blinken and Lammy were asked whether there remain fears the war will escalate if Kyiv is allowed to carry out long-range strikes inside Russia.
"We've seen Russia now escalate its attacks inside Ukraine on civilians, on energy infrastructure, as well as on the Ukrainian military," Blinken responded.
"If anyone is taking escalatory action, it would appear to be Mr. Putin and Russia," Blinken said.
"It is Putin who has escalated this week with the shipment of missiles from Iran," Lammy added, urging China "not to throw their lot in with this group of renegades."
Chris York
